Men's Lacrosse Dominant In Season Opener At Mitchell, 21-5

NEW LONDON, Conn. - The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's lacrosse team started season three of its program in style, dominating the Mitchell College (MC) Mariners, 21-5, in a non-conference, in-state, and season-opening matchup Sunday afternoon at Alumni Field.

A total of 11 Blue Jays found the back of the goal in the contest, which saw the visitors dominate in both shots (51-20) and face-off wins (22-7). Junior midfielder Noah Mocksfield (Colchester, Conn.) led the way with five goals, while junior attack Anthony Lupo (Wallingford, Conn.) added four, and sophomore attackman Ryan Paltauf (Southbury, Conn.) finished with two tallies and a game-high five assists.

The Blue Jays wasted no time in this one scoring 11 of the first 12 goals, and taking a 12-2 lead into the halftime break. Saint Joseph put the game away with seven more goals in the third period in route to the 21-5 final margin.

GAME INFORMATION
Score: Saint Joseph 21, Mitchell 5
Records: USJ (1-0), MC (1-2)
Location: Alumni Field | New London, Conn.

COACH QUOTE [Andrew Fink]
"We were lucky to play today with the weather, but Mitchell got the field ready. I thought the guys came out a little slow and worked through the opener. The guys ended up setting a great tempo. It is great when you can get a win against a Connecticut team and in doing so play all 33 guys, and you walk out healthy. Everyone played, everyone's healthy, now we move on to the next one."

GOALIE BREAKDOWN

USJ – Junior goalkeeper and captain Trey McCann (Simsbury, Conn.) picked up the first win of the season (1-0) with four saves and two goals allowed in 35 minutes of action. Three other Blue Jays landed in goal after McCann: graduate student Joseph Varagnolo (Rhinebeck, N.Y.), freshman Nick Schilling (Brookfield, Conn.), and junior Jayme Hollimion (Blacksburg, Va.).

MC – Freshman goalie Steven Turchetta (Oakdale, Conn.) took the loss (1-2), allowing 12 goals and making six saves in 30 minutes of play. Freshman stopper John Grieco (North Branford, Conn.) allowed nine goals in the second half along with four saves.

BATTLE AT THE 'X'

The Blue Jays dominated the faceoff department, winning 22-of-29 faceoffs on the day. Sophomore faceoff specialist Samuel Barbetti (Guilford, Conn.) led the way with seven of them. 

UP NEXT
The Blue Jays are just getting the 2022 season started and the squad will host Nichols College in their home opener on Wednesday, March 2 at 4:00 p.m. on the USJ Lacrosse Field. Fans can catch the action live on the sidelines on Wednesday afternoon or head over to www.usjbluejays.com to watch online.

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